Ultimate Betrayal
by khandy30
Summary: I was discussing series nine with a group of RA fans we all had lots of ideas and so I created this


January 1973

It was difficult not to press his foot down hard on the accelerator but that was the last thing he needed to do. While speed was of the essence it was important not to draw attention themselves. Philip North glanced at his wife, she seemed calm but small lines of worry were visible, creasing across her brow He reached across and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. They would be approaching the border shortly, out of the USSR but not safe. He doubted he would feel safe until they were back home in Cumbria. He whispered a silent prayer that they would pass through the border checks safely, being a man of God he believed that he would be listening. He glanced in the rear view mirror at the two boys who slept soundlessly. The innocent sleep of children, blissfully unaware of the danger they were in, and Philip hoped unaware of the man they were leaving behind. The boys' dark hair and blue eyes should be enough to convince anybody that he and Lucy were their parents. That and the birth certificates should really be enough. He'd not asked the Russian Orthodox Priest where the birth certificates had come from, he'd just thanked him for his help. He'd been the girl's Priest. Poor wretched child, her injuries had been appalling, beaten to a bloody pulp by her violent husband. The Priest had brought her and the boys to the hospital that they had been volunteering at. It was many miles from her home but safer than the town controlled by her husband. She'd regained consciousness long enough to beg them to take the children out of the country.

He rubbed his hand wearily across his eyes, one look at those two little boys had been all it had taken; neither he nor Lucy could abandon them. How strange that they should appear in their lives just as they had begun to accept they would not have children of their own. How serendipitous that he and Lucy should be in Russia at this exact moment. Had God chosen them for this task? Philip had to believe he had, it was the only way he could justify such an illegal act. And so Marko and Lucca Solotov had become Marcus and Lucas North.

The lights of the border patrol winked ahead, beyond the barrier was Soviet controlled East Germany, one step closer to home. He reached across and squeezed Lucy's hand again.

"Ready?"

She nodded to afraid to speak.

He slowed the car and brought it to a halt in front of the barrier. A guard approached, his army great coat protecting him against the harsh winter weather. Despite the cold, sweat had broken out on Philip North's skin; he could only hope the guard wouldn't notice. The torch that the guard shone into the car was blinding and Philip found himself blinking like a startled animal trapped in the head lights. The guard had neither time nor inclination to exchange pleasantries, it was far too cold. He briskly demanded their papers and Philip sent up yet another prayer hoping that his hand would not shake as he handed them over. Minutes ticked by as both their papers and car were checked over. Philip's heart was hammering wildly and he was certain that Lucy had stopped breathing altogether. The light shone on the boys sleeping features and Philip's own breath caught in his throat. The guard glanced at the birth certificates and then back at the children. He smiled briefly and then handed the papers back before waving them past. Philip closed the window and pulled off, resisting the urge to mop his brow. They were not home yet and he was certain that there would be a lot more brow mopping before the night was over.

November 2009

Lucas' mind was in turmoil, how could it not be? His parent's deaths in a road traffic accident had devastated him. They'd been taken too soon; there had been so much more he'd wanted to share with them. Fate had been especially cruel bringing him back from Russia, back to them, only for them to be torn away from him, victims of a tragic car accident. His eyes burned and his throat ached as memories of that night flooded through him. Marcus, his brother, had broken the news, phoning from Cumbria; his voice strangely emotionless, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was saying .How Lucas wished that distance had not separated them, realising how hard the phone call must have been to make. At Marcus' words, numbness had settled over him, he recognised it as the brain's way of protecting him from the pain that could engulf him. Allowing him to get through and deal with all the formalities and arrangements that accompanied death. He'd seen too much death since his return to England perhaps that's why the numbness had remained. It had seemed at times as if it would never pass. He'd waited for the next step in the grieving process to kick in but it hadn't, not until now. His beloved Kate had explained that grief had no time scale. He smiled briefly, Kate who'd loved and nurtured him since his return from Russia. It had been Kate he'd turned to with his suspicions, even before he went to Harry.

It was hard to believe that a routine operation could have such personally life changing consequences. It was odd, it had been the first case he'd felt really comfortable with since he'd been promoted to section leader, a promotion that was nine years overdue but one he wished he'd obtained in other circumstances. An image of Ros appeared in his mind, a vibrant healthy Ros not the battered and broken agent who'd sacrificed so much to save the home secretary's life. She'd accept her paralysis bravely, stoic as always, congratulating him on his promotion. They had stayed in touch; she was lecturing in law enforcement, seemingly happy and seeing the home secretary on a personal level. As ever with Ros, she was playing her cards close to her chest but Kate believed they were serious about each other.

He'd been tracking the movements of a group of Russian financiers who it appeared were backing a radical group in Afghanistan and while the west didn't want the Taliban to regain power in Afghanistan they were not thrilled at the idea of a Russian backed alternative power. He'd been on surveillance at a meeting that was being held at a prominent London based Russian diplomats home when his world had changed. He'd been photographing people arriving when he'd seen him. He'd frozen, his breath caught in his throat. It was like looking in the mirror except the man was at least 25 years older than him. Training had kicked in and he'd taken several shots. It was said that everybody had a Doppelganger but Lucas didn't believe this was a coincidence. Not trusting anybody else with the picture he'd run it through the system himself. The man had turned out to be Marit Solotov a business man from Kazan, business man was a polite term for the man. He was a violent thug with links to the Russian Mafia and unless his gut instincts were wrong he was related to this man. Yet how could he be?

As he did with many problems, since Kate had been in his life, he took this one home. They'd talked long into the night, but Kate had realised he could never let this rest. She'd agreed the likeness was too great to be overlooked. She'd had no doubts that the moment he showed the picture to the team the others would wonder at the likeness. She had even suggested DNA testing and knew a doctor who could be of help.

Harry had been inscrutable as ever when Lucas had shown him the photograph and discussed his suspicions but he'd agreed that the possibility that Lucas was related to this man had to be ruled out. The ethics of what they were doing barely registered. Ethics were a luxury that MI5 could rarely afford. They'd illegally acquired Solotov's DNA and Maya the doctor friend of Kate's had analysed it and Lucas' as well as Marcus'. He'd known the moment she'd arrived that the DNA proved he was related to Solotov. He hadn't even been shocked when she surmised that he was in all likelihood his and Marcus' father. Everything he believed himself to be had been a falsehood. His parents had played out the greatest of deceptions. Lucas North didn't even exist and neither did Marcus. Christ how could he explain this to Marcus when he didn't understand it himself? If he went back to the house in Cumbria would he find some long letter explaining just how he and Marcus could be the sons of some violent Russian criminal? No that only happened in Hollywood. The numbness that had engulfed him since his parent's death had disappeared now the anger he'd been expecting coursed through his veins.

It was his posture that gave him away, more so than his face. Lucas was adept at concealing his thoughts and he had schooled his facial feature into a neutral expression. His deep azure blue eyes, that were normally so expressive, revealed nothing of his inner feelings. Kate however knew him well and she could sense the tremendous effort it was to remain in control. Every muscle in his body was taut and she was certain that if she reached out to touch him he would recoil away from her as he had done when his memories of Russia surfaced. The news he'd just received must have sent him reeling. It must feel as if everything he ever knew about himself was a lie.

Her gaze moved to Harry Pearce, a man normally as in control of his emotions as Lucas. The crease in his brows seemed to be carved deeper than ever. What was that emotion she could see in his eyes concern, pain, or guilt? The one thing she was certain off Harry wasn't shocked at the revelations, unlike his wife Ruth whose face had paled as the doctor had explained the results. Secrets and lies, the wife's of spies didn't have it easy, there would always be things that could not be discussed. She watched as Ruth's hand moved softly over the swell of her abdomen taking comforting from caressing her unborn child, Harry's child. How strange that the lies and deceit should focus on another child.

Was Lucas having the same thoughts about Harry as she was? He'd just been informed that his section leader was not the man everybody believed and yet he had not displayed the one reaction she'd been expecting.

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you Lucas?" Maya spoke quietly. She'd been the one to explain the DNA results and seemed to be associating the lack of verbal response with a lack of understanding.

"Yes, I understand. The test was 99% conclusive neither Philip nor Lucy North were my real parents. Marit Solotov and some unknown woman have that honour." Lucas answered dully, before turning to face Harry. "The question is how long have you known Harry?"

"Lucas what are you saying, Harry didn't know, how could he?"

"Ah Ruth you are always so loyal, but Harry knew or at least suspected. How long have you known Harry?"

Harry sighed he'd realised that he had no hope of lying, Lucas was far too perceptive he would see through the lie.

"There are two answers to that. I have known that you were not the natural born son of Philip and Lucy North from the day you began to work for MI5..."

Lucas felt as if he'd been slugged in the gut.

"Since I..."

"Yes we discovered it when we were doing the background check. Your parents had been working in the Soviet Union as it was then, in the early 1970's when they returned they had two children with them but there are no birth records for Lucy North anywhere in the Russian town where they were working and she would have been pregnant with Marcus before she'd left for Eastern Europe. There was also no adoption record for either of you. We assumed that they had rescued you from some orphanage."

"Harry, why take me on with such a dubious background check?"

"I will take the credit for that. Your eidetic memory was phenomenal and that and your brilliance with languages were huge incentives for MI5 but it was more than that I saw something in you that I had seldom seen in one so young, an awareness and understanding of the world on so many different levels. I wasn't wrong either, you were truly exceptional."

"Why did you never tell me what you had found out?"

"Because it could serve no purpose, Philip and Lucy had probably done you a huge favour."

"When did you realise about Solotov?"

"I think I knew the moment that you showed me the photograph you'd taken of him. I did some searching and discovered that he had married young. He had two children Marko and Lucca..." Harry paused at his wife's gasp of surprise. His wife and children disappeared in1973, records for them just end. There was nothing, no doctors, no schools, no work, no records of any kind. At the same time a young woman had been brought into the clinic where your parents had been working, she died later the same day. Philip and Lucy left suddenly a week later taking their two sons with them. The coincidence was too great for there to be any doubt. The DNA merely confirmed what I already knew."

Lucas sank to his chair his mind racing.

"Kate, Ruth why don't you take Maya to get a coffee? Lucas and I will join you in a little while."

Kate glanced at Lucas she would only go if he wanted her to. He nodded briefly, the look in his eyes telling her they would talk later.

The door clicked shut behind the woman.

"It must be serious Harry if Ruth can't hear what you have to say."

"It is. Based on the Intel we have on this man we have to stop him."

"Yes we do but Ruth must know that, so why the secrecy?"

"Because I need to know if you have to, can you kill your father?"


End file.
